Associate Director - Talent Enablement & Capability Development

About the job:Associate Director, Talent Enablement & Capability Development:Function: Talent Enablement & Capability Development

Location: India (Global Scope) - Gurgaon

Employment Type: Full-Time

People Leadership: Yes, will lead and develop a team

Role Purpose: We are seeking a strategic and experienced Associate Director, Talent Enablement & Capability Development to lead leadership development, talent enablement, and capability-building initiatives across Optum Operations.

This role serves as the primary Talent Enablement partner for three global capabilities supporting a workforce of over 25,000 employees across India, Philippines, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

The successful candidate will translate enterprise talent, culture, learning, and leadership priorities into scalable, business-aligned solutions while driving leadership capability and organizational effectiveness across regions.

The role owns the enterprise Leadership Development portfolio for Optum Operations, including flagship programs such as LEAP and PACE, and leads a team responsible for delivering measurable talent and business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:Strategic Talent Enablement Partnership:

• Serve as the primary and trusted Talent Enablement partner for assigned business capabilities.

• Develop and execute capability development strategies aligned with enterprise and business priorities.

• Partner with senior business leaders, People Business Partners, HR Centers of Excellence, and capability leaders to identify talent and capability needs.

• Act as a strategic advisor on leadership development, workforce capability, succession readiness, and talent acceleration.

• Balance enterprise consistency with regional and business-specific requirements.

Leadership Development Portfolio Ownership:

• Own the Optum Operations Leadership Development portfolio, including strategy, governance, implementation, and impact measurement.

• Lead flagship leadership programs including LEAP, PACE, Leadership Foundations, High-Potential Programs, WIL, STEP, and Global Rotation initiatives.

• Strengthen leadership pipeline health and successor readiness across leadership levels.

• Continuously evolve leadership offerings based on business needs, market trends, and organizational priorities.

• Drive adoption and sustainability of leadership initiatives across all regions.

People Leadership & Team Development:

• Lead, coach, and develop a distributed team of Talent Enablement professionals and program specialists.

• Establish clear performance goals and development plans.

• Foster an inclusive, high-performing, and collaborative team culture.

• Build future-focused capabilities, including AI-enabled learning and product-based approaches.

• Drive employee engagement and talent retention within the team.

Facilitation & Executive Development:

• Facilitate impactful leadership and management development programs for senior leaders and executive audiences.

• Deliver learning experiences that enable leadership effectiveness, organizational performance, and career growth.

• Ensure high standards of facilitation excellence, learner engagement, and program quality.

• Leverage modern learning technologies and adult learning principles to maximize effectiveness.

Talent Consulting & Capability Building:

• Utilize workforce and talent insights to identify capability gaps and opportunities.

• Support succession planning and talent review processes.

• Recommend targeted interventions to enhance leadership strength and workforce capability.

• Provide actionable recommendations to senior stakeholders based on data and business outcomes.

Governance, Vendor & Budget Management:

• Manage budgets associated with leadership development programs and talent enablement initiatives.

• Oversee vendor relationships, external faculty, and learning partners.

• Ensure compliance with enterprise standards, governance processes, and quality frameworks.

• Monitor program effectiveness, risks, timelines, and resource utilization.

Scope & Impact:

• Supports three global Optum Operations capabilities.

• Influences talent outcomes for 25,000+ employees globally.

• Owns Optum Operations Leadership Development strategy and delivery.

• Leads a team of 7 Talent Enablement professionals.

• Partners with 30+ senior leaders and 8+ executive-level stakeholders globally.

• Drives capability, leadership, and talent outcomes across multiple geographies.

Key Stakeholders:

• Capability Leaders

• Senior Operations Leaders

• People Business Partners

• Talent Management COEs

• Enterprise Learning Teams

• Regional Leadership Teams

• HR Leadership

• External Learning Consultants and Vendors

Success Measures:Leadership Readiness:

• Improved succession strength and readiness for critical leadership roles.

• Strong leadership pipeline across assigned capabilities.

• Increased progress of high-potential talent.

Capability Development:

• Increased leadership and manager effectiveness scores.

• High completion rates and participation across development programs.

• Strong learner engagement and program satisfaction metrics.

Business Impact:

• Measurable improvement in capability outcomes linked to business performance.

• Consistent deployment of leadership programs across all regions.

• Successful adoption of enterprise talent and learning initiatives.

Team Effectiveness:

• High employee engagement and retention within the team.

• Strong stakeholder satisfaction and partnership effectiveness.

• Achievement of team performance and delivery goals.

Required Qualifications:Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Organizational Development, Education, or related discipline.

• Master's degree preferred.

Experience:

• 15+ years of experience in Learning & Development, Talent Development, Organizational Development, Leadership Development, or Talent Management.

• Proven experience partnering with senior executives and business leaders.

• Experience designing and delivering enterprise-wide leadership development strategies.

• Strong people leadership experience across distributed and matrixed teams.

• Experience managing large-scale talent and capability programs with global reach.

Required Skills & Competencies:Leadership & Consulting:

• Strategic thinking and business acumen

• Executive stakeholder management

• Talent consulting and workforce planning

• Organizational effectiveness

Learning & Development:

• Leadership development expertise

• Adult learning methodologies

• Executive facilitation

• Capability-building strategies

Program Leadership:

• Portfolio and program management

• Vendor and budget management

• Governance and risk management

• Data-driven decision making

Future-Ready Capabilities:

• AI-enabled learning and talent solutions

• Change agility

• Global collaboration

• Enterprise mindset

Candidate Profile:

The ideal candidate is a seasoned Talent Enablement leader who combines strategic thinking with strong execution capabilities.

They are comfortable influencing senior executives, leading global initiatives, developing high-performing teams, and driving leadership capability at scale.

They bring deep expertise in leadership development, talent strategy, facilitation, stakeholder management, and organizational effectiveness while operating successfully in a complex, matrixed environment.

Our Values: Integrity - Compassion - Relationships - Innovation - Performance

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